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EQUITY NEWS

News     Announcements

NEWS

  • DEBUNKING GENDER STEREOTYPES: THE ROLE OF TEACHERS
    Confidence, not ability, often determines whether a young girl will consider herself "good" at math or whether a young woman will decide to major in math or computer science in college. In their thought-provoking Education Week essay titled "The Persistence of Gender Myths in Math,"
    (http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2004/10/13/07barnett.h24.html?querystring=gender%20myths)
    Rosalind Chait Barnett and Caryl Rivers suggest that teachers have a critical role to play in actively debunking persistent gender stereotypes and encouraging girls and young women to pursue areas of strength. They also encourage educators to examine their own practices to identify the degree to which they are unwittingly contributing to these stereotypes.

    In Oakland, California, a team of teachers, professional men and women, and educators from the Chabot Space and Science Center are actively engaged in encouraging girls and young women in math, science, and technology. The Techbridge program provides hands-on opportunities for girls in elementary school through high school to explore these key areas and for teachers to participate in subject-specific professional-development opportunities. Read the GLEF story about this program, "Building a Bridge to Science and Technology"
    http://www.edutopia.org/1052. For more information on Techbridge, you can also visit http://www.chabotspace.org/visit/programs/techbridge.asp.

  • THE RICH GET RICHER . . .
    A new report from The Education Trust documents a growing disparity in the level of state and local funding that goes to wealthy and poor K-12 districts in the country. According to "Funding Gap 2004," issued in October, the disparity is upward of $1,300 per student when the extra cost of educating low-income students is factored into the equation. Looking at revenue figures for the 2001-02 school year (the last year for which data was available), the report finds that in 25 of the 49 states studied, the districts in which families experience the highest levels of poverty receive fewer resources than those with the lowest numbers of households living in poverty. The full copy of the report, which includes recommendations on how states can close the funding gap, is available online at http://www2.edtrust.org/edtrust.

  • BRATTLEBORO UNION HS LAUNCHES DIVERSITY CLASS
    When incoming freshmen take the school's new mandatory diversity class this year, they may find a curriculum that runs the gamut from former presidents to rap stars.

  • VERMONT WOMEN'S FUND GIVES THIRD GRANT TO VI EQUITY INITIATIVESKathy Johnson, Governor James Douglas, Christine Zachai, Exec. Director, Vt. Women's Fund
    The Tech Savvy Girls program gives girls technology skills, confidence and experience that helps them succeed in this high-tech world. Overcoming barriers that prevent women from pursuing technology is easier when these girls can see role models, learn technology among their friends, and have fun. This third year of support from the Vermont Women's Fund allows us to expand the Tech Savvy Girls network to the college level. The college girls in IT will teach and encourage high school students; high school girls mentor middle school students, and adult women in IT are role models for them all. Thank you, Vermont Women's Fund! The Vermont Women's Fund is a grantmaking organization that supports the advancement, self-sufficiency, and economic and social equality of Vermont women and girls. We are a permanent endowment with The Vermont Community Foundation, and encourage all women to be philanthropists and to use their collective financial power to help shape Vermont's future. May 2004

  • VT PUBLIC RADIO FEATURES CVUHS PEER TRAINERS
    May 18, 2004, VPR's online edition ran this story: "CVU High School Runs Pilot Program to Prevent Harassment."

  • VERMONT LAW RELATING TO HARASSMENT IN SCHOOLS SIGNED BY GOVERNOR DOUGLAS
    In the new law, signed into effect April 13, 2004, the definition of harassment is refined and examples are given of behavior that may be unlawful harassment. The law defines actions and time frames schools must follow once they receive actual notice of a harassment incident. The law extends protection to students and students' family members, and speaks to the issue of a person's "actual or perceived" status or membership in a protected group (in other words, even if a target of harassment is not "actually" a member of the protected category, the law still applies if the person is harassed based on a perception that he / she is a member of the protected group). Schools will have to revise their harassment policies to align with the new laws. Click here to read more.

  • DISTRICT SCHOOLS STRIVE TO CREATE SAFER CLIMATE
    Published November 18, 2003, Brattleboro Reformer
    Shiela Linton expects her child will have a very different experience in the Brattleboro school system than she did. Her 9-year-old daughter is a student at the Oak Grove School. Linton, a black woman who graduated from Brattleboro Union High School, said the climate in the school system has improved from when she was a student. Click here or on title above to read the article (PDF).

ANNOUNCEMENTS

  • VERMONT TEACHER DIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM (FKA COMING HOME PROJECT)
    As Vermont’s population becomes more culturally diverse, it is important that the teachers in our public schools reflect that diversity. The Vermont Teacher Diversity Scholarship Program has been developed to recruit and train talented teachers from diverse backgrounds. The VTDSP is a loan cancellation program to support students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds who wish to become teachers.

    Through the project, successful candidates will study at one of the partner institutions of higher education and complete all requirements for a teaching license. They will apply for teaching positions in designated target areas and, if hired, agree to teach for a minimum of one year. Currently, target areas are Bennington, Brattleboro, Burlington, Montpelier, Morrisville, the Northeast Kingdom, and Rutland. At present, there are Scholars in the Bennington, Brattleboro, Burlington, and Montpelier areas.

    Scholars can receive $4,000 a year of loan forgiveness for every year of teaching up to three years, for a total of $12,000.

    The Vermont Teacher Diversity Scholarship Program consists of partnerships between local colleges and school systems. It combines a rigorous academic training, internship experience and mentoring from established members of the teaching community.

    For more information contact Phyl Newbeck, (802-241-3379) Vermont Teacher Diversity Scholarship Program Director, or visit the website.

 

Questions? Comments? Need more information on Equity programs?
Contact: 

Kathy Johnson, Director of Equity Initiatives
Phone (802) 828-0072; or

Postal Mail: 
The Vermont Institutes, Alumni Hall, 45 College Street, Montpelier, VT 05602

Staff members can be reached via e-mail by using the following protocol: first initial, then last name, followed by the symbol for "at" (@) vermontinstitutes.org (no spaces).

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Last updated January 31, 2005